The Most Powerful Conversations Happen at Fair Media Council Connection Day Oct. 21

We've got plenty of powerful conversations happening at the Fair Media Council's Connection Day...

At age 17, Jeffrey Deskovic was convicted of crimes he didn't commit: The rape and murder of a 15-year-old classmate. Deskovic will speak as part of a panel discussion, 'Stories Behind the Stories of Criminal Injustices.'

Moderated by a known champion of the underdog, Gotham Goverment Relations' Brad Gerstman, retired New York Times' Reporter Bruce Lambert and PIX11 Investigative Reporter Mary Murphy join the conversation.

That panel discussion is a lead-in to lunch, featuring a conversation with Bill Keller, editor-in-chief of The Marshall Project, which is leading the national conversation on the state of criminal justice in America today. Fair Media Council CEO Jaci Clement participates in the conversation, and will take questions from the audience.

FMC CONNECTION DAY HAPPENS FRIDAY, OCT. 21, 2016 FROM 7.30 A.M. TO 4.30 P.M. AT BRIARCLIFFE COLLEGE, BETHPAGE

Breakfast kicks off with 'Election 2016: Incredibly Bizarre. Extremely Close,' a panel discussion, deftly moderated by WCBS Newsradio 880 News & Programming Director Tim Scheld, that promises a no-holds-barred look at how the media has covered the presidential race. With three presidential debates completed, FOX News Channel's John Leboutillier, host of 'Political Insiders,' and renowned pollster Mike Dawidziak will have plenty to talk about. More panelists will be confirmed soon for this high-spirited, must-see-it-to-believe-it insider dialogue.

He was only 18 years old when he jumped to his death off the George Washington Bridge.
Tyler Clementi was the victim of cyberbullying, a crime that still falls between the cracks of the justice system. James Clementi, Tyler's brother, speaks at FMC Connection Day, to tell his brother's story and what more needs to be done to combat cyberbullying and protect our youth. This is a conversation every parent, educator and elected official needs to hear.

'Go Inside the Newsroom' to learn the inner workings of what makes news and what doesn't. Moderated by one of Long Island's most accomplished women, Katherine Heaviside leads the discussion, aided and abetted by WABC-TV's Josh Einiger, WCBS Newsradio 880's Jon Clark, PIX11 News boss Amy Waldman, FiOS1 News Anchor Jackie Zabielski and the venerable Terry Sheridan, now running the show at Suffolk County's newest radio news bureau, WSHU, an affiliate of National Public Radio.

Take a chance to get into the news by being part of the 'Meet & Pitch the Media' discussion, moderated by Vision Long Island's Eric Alexander. It's a chance too good to pass up: Stand up and give it your best shot as you tell your story to 77 WABC Radio's Jerry Barmash, NBC New York's Pei-Sze Cheng, WLIW's Diane Masciale and 1010WINS' Donna Vaughan. (We've actually lost count of how many stories made it into the news from this particular panel topic. To those who built their brand, beat out their competitor, became famous or simply made it to the next level: You're welcome.)

New York Times' bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize nominee Tom Clavin shares secrets of storytelling and building a brand. He knows what he's talking about: His new book, LUCKY 666, is set to hit the bookshelves the following week.

Ahhh, it's less about what you have to say. It's all about what makes people listen. Enter Storytelling 101, a promising discussion filled with talent and an icon, to boot: Hofstra's Melissa Connolly runs the show, with accomplished videojournalist Greg Blank, MYLITV's Waldo Cabrera and CBS2/WLNY's Richard Rose telling how the pros tell a story. The one-and-only Dan Rattiner of Dan's Papers fame joins in the fun.

Because communication is the key to leadership, we offer Keys to Effective Advocacy, a conversation that brings the best of the best together to make you better: CNN's Rich Galant and 1010WINS Carol D'Auria tell it from the media's perspective, while South Nassau Communities Hospital Joe Calderone and Long Island Cares Paule Pachter represent the best of the bunch when it comes to advocacy in this region. The high-powered panel is moderated by Sauvigne & Company's Bob Horvath.

Want to know what's in tomorrow's news? Be sure to grab a seat in the always popular Reporter Roundtable discussion. Moderated by the charming Michael Martino of Suez North America, find out what's going on inside NBC New York from Ann Givens, Long Island Business News' David Winzelberg, Frank Eltman of the Associated Press, Patch.com's Ryan Bonner and 77 WABC Radio's Lisa Ritchie. This one promises to be memorable!

If eating your competitor's lunch is part of your raison d'etre, you need to be in on the Business Class panel -- an assemblage of the who's who in media when it comes to covering the buying, selling and building of the future around here: Jim Paymar, Joe Dowd, Jamie Herzlich and Larry Jaffee. The quick wit we call Patrick Calabria runs this show.

Want to get yourself on a talk show? First, you need to hear what these people have to say: St. Joseph's Melissa Kuehnle gets the inside scoop from the people who can put you on a show anytime they feel like it: Donna Drake, Diane Masciale and David North are the ones you need to know. Make 'em want you, that's our motto!

Want to beat the press? Let's be real, sometimes we all do. But here's how to really do it: Get media training by one of the best in the business, Jim Cameron. He's braved bridges and boundaries to join us from Connecticut, so we expect to see a room filled to capacity with CEOs wanting to better themselves and land more media interviews.

Customer service is not a department; it's a state of mind. If you're in business, you need to hear from Randi Busse, a highly-respected trainer who can make you rethink what you thought you knew about keeping your customers happy. Even better: Make sure your key employees attend this one!

Oof! That smarts. If you've ever been bashed on Yelp, you know what we're talking about. That's why we've assembled people who can help, as well as relate. In Recovering from a One-Star Review, Northwell Health's Terry Lynam moderates the discussion with Alure Home Improvement's Seth Selesnow, LongIsland.com CEO John Colascione and the Meltzer Lippe attorney with a social media specialty, Pedram Tabibi. This one will be fun, and useful.

Need some motivation to take better care of yourself? OK, maybe you need a whole lot of motivation to take better care of yourself! That's why we brought in Debi Silber, a/k/a The Mojo Coach, to share the winning strategy for taking control of your life and your health. An accomplished coach and TEDX speaker, Silber is even going to throw in a few life hacks, to jump start the journey toward unlocking your potential. You need this session. Everyone needs this session.

And, just when you thought we were out of programming ideas, you find out we saved the best for last: Enjoy a group session with psychic medium to the stars Janet Russell, who's well-known for helping police find Katie Beers, a Long Island nine-year-old who was kidnapped and held in a dungeon. This session is your chance to find out what the future may bring, or get closure from something that happened in the past.

Between breakfast, lunch, and nearly 20 breakout sessions (You get to attend five, so choose carefully. Bring colleagues so you can 'divide and conquer' the schedule.), we added another twist to the mix: A little bit of puppy therapy, thanks to the good people at Little Shelter Animal Rescue & Adoption Center. Snuggle and take selfies with the animals during networking breaks and tweet using the hashtag, #FMCFurever. FMC will share your selfies across our social media channels, to give you exposure and raise awareness for animals in need of loving homes. And, bring some pet food with you to FMC Connection Day to be donated to the Shelter, and in exchange, you'll get free raffle tickets. At the end of the day you may win a prize -- and if you happen to fall in love, the animals are available for adoption.

It doesn't take a village to put on Connection Day, it takes speakers coming from three states: New York, New Jersey and Connecticut; hundreds of attendees and a roster of the best sponsors any organization could hope for: Northwell Health, Hofstra University, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, St. Joseph's College, Briarcliffe College, Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council, SMM Advertising, South Nassau Communities Hospital, Protiviti, Long Island Development Corp./Long Island Small Business Assistance Corp., Farmingdale State College, Suez North America, WeiserMazars LLP, Vision Long Island and Alure Home Improvements.

Powerful conversations couldn't happen without our sponsors and supporters.

FMC Connection Day is the largest conference in the country to bring the news media and community together for a day of open dialogue, mutual understanding, relationship building and story pitching. From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. is the 'Media Summit' portion of the program, which provide the platform, people and opportunities for attendees to raise awareness of their own issues, which helps move the community forward.

In addition, accomplished and acclaimed speakers provide professional development and communication skill enhancement opportunities. Storytelling techniques are highlighted throughout the day. Animal welfare, criminal justice and cyberbullying are issues the Fair Media Council chose to spotlight at this event.

FMC Connection Day happens Friday, Oct. 21, 2016 from 7.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. at Briarcliffe College, Bethpage. To see the full program and speakers, click here. To add your name to our sponsor/exhibitor list, click here. To get tickets, click here.

This event does sell out, so act now.